Collinsville, IL

Collinsville is a Metro East city best known for two very different landmarks: Cahokia Mounds and the Brooks Catsup Bottle water tower. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site preserves the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico, created by the Mississippian culture, while the giant catsup bottle gives the city a playful roadside icon. Collinsville also celebrates that connection with an annual festival. The city feels like a St. Louis-area working suburb with unusually deep Indigenous history and a memorable dose of Americana.